Secret Santa Evolution: The Aftermath
by Cian'Perrel
Summary: This is the story of what happens after the New Year's Eve date between Scott and Kitty (as told in my other story "Secret Santa Evolution"). Will Scott be able to finally move on after Jean's passing? Or will he still be too grief stricken?
1. The Morning After

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: I had started this epilogue shortly after releasing the original story, but my desire to write anything X-Men was squashed by the direction Marvel took the X-Men (and more specifically, Cyclops) around the time it was posted. But it was hard to stay away forever, and after going through my collection of unfinished stories, and posting a couple of things, I decided to give it another try. This was one story that I had truly been looking forward to writing an epilogue too, and though it took me longer than I liked, I finally finished it, and decided to post it. Like with the original story, this will mostly be from Cyclops' P.O.V., with the occasional snippet about other characters. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review.

 **Secret Santa: The Aftermath**

Chapter.1.

The Morning After

It's nearly 5 in the morning by the time I finally pull up to the Institute, parking the Shelby in the garage. I turn off the engine, and look to my right, where Kitty has fallen asleep, still wrapped up in my Tuxedo jacket. A smile appears on my face as I look at her, thinking about the evening we just had.

I wish I could just leave her be, and let her sleep, but I know that I can't; so I exit the vehicle, and make my way around to the passenger side. I open the door, and reach in, trying to lift Kitty out without waking her, but I'm unsuccessful, and she wakes up.

She groggily, steps out of the car, and leans against me, struggling to keep her eyes open. "Are you okay to walk, or do you want me to carry you?" I ask, leaning down to see if she's still awake, or if she's fallen asleep standing up.

"I'm okay." She mumbles, but as she tries to take a step, she nearly falls over. I reach out and grab her around the waist, preventing her from hitting the floor. "Maybe you should carry me." She says, with a little giggle.

I scoop her up in my arms, and she giggles again, before wrapping her arms around my neck, and leaning her head against my shoulder. I barely take 10 steps before she falls back asleep.

I make my way as quietly as I can through the mansion, and up the stairs, before turning down the hall to the girls dorm. I can't help but feel that every step I take sounds like a gunshot going off and that any minute now, everyone will step out of their rooms and find me carrying a sleeping Kitty.

"Why does your room have to be all the way at the end of the hall?" I ask her quietly, knowing that she can't hear me, and won't answer.

I get to her door without incident, and shake her enough to wake her. "We're here, Kitty." I say, quietly.

"Hunh." She says, still a little unsteady on her feet as I put her down. "Oh, thanks, Scott."

"No problem, Kitty." I say, returning the smile she gives me. "Will you be okay from here?" I ask.

"Yeah." She replies, reaching for the door knob. "Thanks again."

I'm about to turn and leave, when she places a hand on my arm. I look at her, as she stands up on her tip toes, and leans in to give me a brief, soft kiss. "Good night." She says, blushing.

"Good night." I reply.

I wait for her to step into her room, and for the door to close before I turn to leave.

I don't get very far, before I hear some frantic movement coming from her room. "Oh my God." I hear her exclaim, as she comes running out of her room. She runs to me, and presses herself against my chest, where I instinctively wrap my right arm around her, while lifting my left hand to my glasses, in case of an attack.

"My eyes." She mumbles into my chest. "I can never un-see that."

Before I can ask her what she means, Ray steps through her door, holding a pillow in front of him, and, obviously, wearing nothing else. "Kitty, I'm so sorry." He says, quietly, trying to not wake up any of the other residents.

"Ray?" I ask, shocked and confused to see him in Kitty's room.

"Scott." He says, finally noticing me there. "Oh shit. Dude, it's not what it looks like."

"Hey Kitty, we're really..." Tabby says, stepping behind Ray, and using him for cover. "Oh." She says, when she sees me. "Hey Scooter. You guys are home earlier than expected."

It doesn't take me long to piece together what is happening, and I don't feel like dealing with it right now. "We'll talk about this later." I say, pointing at Ray and Tabby. "Trust me; we'll talk."

I take Kitty, by the shoulders, and lead her back down the hall, glaring at the two of them over my shoulder, as they duck back into Kitty's room, and close the door.

"I'm going to have to burn it all." Kitty mumbles. "I can never sleep in that bed again. Oh God, my pillow was covering his...and he was ...and they must have...oh God."

"We'll deal with it tomorrow, Kitty." I say.

"I'm going to have to move to another room." She continues to mumble. "I can never sleep in there after seeing what I saw."

She stops mumbling, and suddenly realizes where we are. "Ah, Scott?" She asks. "What are we doing here?"

I open the door to my room, and lead her inside. "You can sleep in my room." I say. "I'll sleep on the couch in my office downstairs."

"But Scott..." She starts to say, as I rummage through my dresser for some comfortable clothes to change into.

"It's fine, Kitty." I reply. "It's really late, or early I should say, and we're both tired. You can stay here for tonight, and we'll deal with this all tomorrow." I turn around, holding my change of clothes, and grab my sleeping glasses from the nightstand. "Feel free to change into anything I have; so you don't have to sleep in your dress."

"Are you sure?" She asks. "I don't mind sleeping on the couch, and you can sleep here."

"It's fine, Kitty." I reply, giving her a smile. "I've slept on that couch lots of times whenever I've been working late; I'm used to it." I wrap her up in a half hug, and kiss the top of her head. "Besides, after everything you did for me tonight, the least I can do is offer you my bed."

I feel her choke back a laugh.

"I probably could have chosen a better way to say that, but you know what I mean." I say, shaking my head. "I'll see you tomorrow, and I'll have a nice long talk with Tabby and Ray about...everything."

I release her, and walk to my door. "Good night, again, Kitty." I say, looking over my shoulder at her.

"Good night." She replies, sitting down on my bed, and watching me leave.

I close the door behind me, and silently make my way downstairs to my office, where I quickly change into a pair of flannel pants, and my sleeping glasses. Then I lie down on the couch, and close my eyes.

The analytical part of me wants to stay up and process everything that has happened tonight, and what it all means, but I know that if I don't get some sleep, I'll be useless for the rest of the day.

* * *

Kitty slowly wakes up, feeling a little chilly, despite the fact that she in covered with a large comforter, and wonders why. She sits up in bed, and rubs her eyes, looking around for the source of the chill. She doesn't immediately recognize the room, and wonders where she is, until she remembers the events of the previous night.

She looks over at the window when she feels a cold breeze, and is shocked to see Gambit sitting on the window sill, with the window open, smoking a cigarette.

"Mornin', Petite." He says, blowing smoke out the window.

"Morning." She replies, sheepishly.

"Remy be comin' here to talk to Scott, and instead he be findin' you sleepin' in Scott's bed." He says, taking another drag, and tossing the remainder of his cigarette out the window. "And Scott ain't nowhere to be found." He blows that last puff of smoke out, and closes the window. "Now, to be honest, Remy be thinkin' he not be seein' either of you back until later today."

"Scott slept in his office." Kitty says, blushing and avoiding eye contact.

"Hmph." He says, cracking his knuckles. "Remy be lettin' you get back to sleep, Petite. But you might want to make sure to lock da door properly; wouldn't want anyone else to just walk in here and see you sleepin' in da Bosses bed, now would we?"

He leaves the room, Kitty ducks back under the covers, and closes her eyes.

* * *

Years of training with Wolverine has heightened my senses to the point that I can tell when someone enters the room, even if I'm asleep; but Gambit wouldn't be the master thief he is if he got caught that easily. So it's a bit of a shock to me when I sit up on the couch and find Gambit sitting at my desk, with his feet up.

"Mornin' Boss." Gambit says, with a smile. "Funny dat you not be in your room."

"Is something wrong, Remy?" I ask, standing up and stretching. "Or did you just want to bust my balls?"

"Remy just wanted to see how last night went, mon amie." Gambit says, removing his feet from my desk.

"And it couldn't wait until I was dressed, because..?" I ask, folding the blanket I had been using, and placing it in the closet with my pillow. "It went fine; it was nice."

Gambit just nods, as he stands up. "You should probably take care of da fact dat dere be a femme sleepin' in yo' bed; wouldn't want any nasty rumors to start." Gambit says, as he walks out of my office, a smirk on his face.

I'm not surprised that Gambit knows about Kitty, and just hope that no one else finds out.

Once the door closes behind Gambit, I sit behind my desk and reach for the phone. I lift the receiver to my ear, and press the intercom button. "Good morning everyone." I say, and I can hear my voice go out throughout the institute's speakers. "I hope everyone slept well, and that you all had a happy new year." I pause for a second before continuing. "I would just like to say that I'm canceling all training sessions for today and tomorrow; so feel free to go out and enjoy the beautiful winter weather." I pause again, a wicked smile appearing on my face. "And could Tabitha and Raymond please come to my office; I would like to have a word with the two of you."

* * *

 _Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_


	2. Should Have Knocked

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: I had started this epilogue shortly after releasing the original story, but my desire to write anything X-Men was squashed by the direction Marvel took the X-Men (and more specifically, Cyclops) around the time it was posted. But it was hard to stay away forever, and after going through my collection of unfinished stories, and posting a couple of things, I decided to give it another try. This was one story that I had truly been looking forward to writing an epilogue too, and though it took me longer than I liked, I finally finished it, and decided to post it. Like with the original story, this will mostly be from Cyclops' P.O.V., with the occasional snippet about other characters. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review.

 **Secret Santa: The Aftermath**

Chapter.2.

Should Have Knocked

After a nice long meeting with Ray and Tabby, where they were both reprimanded for their actions and given a harsh punishment, I head back to my room so I can change. I open the door, and walk in.

"Scott!" Kitty shouts, covering herself up with her hands.

"Kitty!" I exclaim, turning around, and covering my glasses with my hands. "I'm so sorry. The door was unlocked, so I thought you were gone."

I can hear her frantically covering herself with something. "I was just changing out of your shirt that I wore to bed last night; I didn't think it would be okay if I walked around the halls wearing your clothes." She explained. "And I forgot to lock the door."

"I still should have knocked, or something." I say.

"It's not your fault." She says. "It was an accident."

I hear her walking towards me, and glance over my shoulder, carefully, to see that she is wearing her dress again. "I'm still sorry, Kitty." I say, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

"It's okay." She says, not looking at me, but I can see her blushing. "I'm just going to go to my room, and change."

"Oh, I talked to Ray and Tabby about last night." I say. "Later today, they'll be taking care of your room. They're going to be bringing up a new mattress from the store room in the basement, using the stairs of course, and then they're going to hand wash everything that they touched; I'm going to make sure you have all new linens anyways, but still..."

"Thanks you, Scott." She replies, giving me a little smile, before opening the door and leaving.

I'm left there wondering why I get the feeling that something is wrong, and that I could have done, or said, something else.

* * *

Kitty closes her door behind her, and looks at the mess that is her bed. "Ugh." She groans, seeing that they hadn't even made an attempt at cleaning up a little.

Too tired, and too depressed to deal with it, she just ignores it, and removes her dress. When it's hanging up in the closet, she smiles sadly. "I doubt I'll ever get to wear this again." She mumbles to herself, as she runs her fingers down the dress.

She removes her panties, and tosses them aside, before grabbing something more comfortable from her dresser, and getting dressed.

She just finishes pulling a polo shirt on when there is a knock at her door. "Hey, Kitty; can Ah come in?" She hears Rogue ask.

"Yeah." Kitty replies, sitting at her vanity, and trying to make something out of her messed up hair.

The door opens, and Rogue peaks her head in. "Is it safe?" She asks, with a smile on her face. "Is everyone decent?"

"It's just me, Anna." Kitty replies, giving up and just tying her hair back into a ponytail.

"Oh, did he sneak out already?" Rogue asks, walking around the room.

"He wasn't here, Rogue." Kitty says, not looking at her.

"It sure looks lahke he was." Rogue says. "The bed is a mess, and..." She bends down and picks something up off the floor. "And your sexy underwear is just casually tossed on the floor? Sure looks lahke sumthin' happened here last night."

"Something did, but not with me." Kitty replies. "Ray and Tabby used my room too...you know."

"Eww." Rogue said, looking at the bed l it was some disgusting creature that had just spawned. "I hope you're gonna burn your bed."

"Scott is having them replace it later." Kitty replies.

"Oh, good." Rogue said. "Well Ah know these are yours, Ah was with ya when ya bought 'em; so Ah'm guessin' that they weren't tossed aside by Scott in a fit of passion?"

"No." Kitty replies, still not looking at Rogue.

"So, Ah'm just standin' here holdin' your panties; great." Rogue says walking over to the hamper, and dropping them in. "Ah'll just put 'em in here."

"Thanks." Kitty says.

"Kitty, what's wrong?" Rogue asks, thinking about sitting on the bed, but settling for kneeling in front of Kitty so that she can see her face. "What happened last night?"

"Why did I think I could ever have a chance with him, Anna?" Kitty says, as she starts crying. "I was just so stupid."

"Hey, hey." Rogue says, pulling her into a hug. "Tell me what happened."

Kitty goes on to tell Rogue the whole story about the previous night; from Scott's shocked reaction at seeing her there, too the kiss at Warren's, too Scott offering to plan their next date.

"Okay, Ah don't know how to tell ya this, Kitty, but that doesn't sound lahke it went bad at all; it sounds lahke Scott wants to go out with you again." Rogue says.

"No, he was just being Scott; you know, polite and non-confrontational." Kitty explains. "He doesn't really mean it; there will be no second date."

"Ah, Sweetie, let me tell you sumthin'." Rogue says, lifting Kitty's face until they are looking each other in the eye. "As someone who once had a major crush on Scott, Ah know from first hand experience; he's not someone who plays around when it comes to matters of the heart. He wouldn't offer to take ya on a second date if he had no intention of actually doing it."

"Well, even if that was true last night; I doubt it still counts now." Kitty says.

"Okay, so there's more to the story; go on." Rogue says.

"After we found Ray and Tabby...in here, he let me stay in his room. And before you get any ideas, he slept in his office." Kitty says. "Well when I woke up, I was changing out of one of his tee-shirts that I had worn to bed, when he walked in. He saw me standing there in nothing but my panties, and he couldn't look away fast enough; he couldn't even look at me after I had gotten dressed. I mean why would he? He had Jean, who was tall, and gorgeous, and a perfect ten; with big...boobs. Why would he even look twice at someone who looks like they still haven't finished going trough puberty?"

"Kitty, Ah think you're being ridiculous." Rogue says. "Scott's reaction was typical Scott, if ya think about it. And Ah don't think he's the shallow type."

"That's easy for you too say; look at you. You were an actual threat to Jean." Kitty says. "I wish I had your body; then maybe I might have a shot."

"Ah'm gonna remind myself that you're wallowin' in self-pity right now, and let that slide, but Ah still think you're wrong." Rogue says, standing up. "Ah think ya have a real shot at Scott, if ya'd just open your eyes, and let it happen."

Rogue walks out, leaving Kitty alone with her thoughts.

* * *

After a nice shower, and a fresh change of clothes, I feel refreshed; even if I barely slept last night. Most of the kids took my advice, and are outside playing in the snow, being supervised by Peter, or course; so the kitchen is completely empty when I get there.

I just finish making myself a sandwich, and turn around to see Rogue leaning against the island watching me.

"Look if you're here to tease me about last night, please don't." I say, sitting on a stool across from her.

"Oh, Ah'm not here ta tease ya, Scott." She says.

Something in her tone tells me that she is serious about something, and that gets my attention. "Then what?" I ask.

"I just had a nice long talk with Kitty." She says. "And she was cryin' through most of it."

"What?" I ask. "Why was she crying?"

"Because she thinks that ya was just bein' polite, an' lettin' her down easy, last night." She replies. "That ya ain't never gonna take her on another date."

I'm flabbergasted by this news; I thought I had made it clear to Kitty last night.

"She's not a little girl anymore, Scott; she's a grown woman, and she can handle ya bein' honest." She says.

"But I was being honest; I really was." I reply. "I want to take her on another date; I want to see if there is something there between us." I take a deep breath, my sandwich completely forgotten. "I told her that I'm not sure if I'm ready to move on yet, but that I'd like to give it a chance. I don't know if I'll ever really know that I'm ready to move on; so maybe the only way to know...is to try."

"See, that's what Ah tried to tell her." She says, sitting down and looking outside. "Ah knew ya wasn't the type to play around with someone's heart."

"I'm not." I reply.

"Well ya need to convince her of that, 'cause she ain't listenin' to me." She says, turning to look at me. I can tell by the way she's looking at me that she's looking for my reaction. "Are ya attracted to her?"

"Yes." I reply too quickly, my voice raising an octave, as I try to push down the image of Kitty standing in my room wearing nothing but her panties. "I mean, I think she's very attractive." I can feel my face heating up as a blush spreads across my cheeks.

Rogue laughs, and reaches across the island to slap my shoulder. "Alright." She says, after the laughter dies down. "That's another thing ya need to make sure she understands then." She gets up to leave, but stops at the door. "Of course, this goes without sayin', but we never had this conversation. Normally we don't discuss these things with guys, but I think I needed to break the rules this one time."

"What conversation?" I ask, nodding to her.

She smiles, and leaves me alone with my thoughts.

" _Okay, so I need to find a way to make Kitty understand that I was serious."_ I think to myself. _"This is going to take some work."_ I pick up my sandwich, and start walking to my office.

* * *

I spend the day in my office, not because I'm avoiding anyone, especially not Kitty, but because I'm busy making plans. The only time I leave, is to make sure that Ray and Tabby are doing what I asked, and making up for their...mistake.

When I'm done, I head upstairs and grab some fresh linens for Kitty's room. The door is open, and the room looks clean. I'm a little surprised at just how good a job Ray and Tabby did, and realize that they are finally showing signs of maturity; excluding the previous night's events.

I place the linens on her dresser, and start making the bed. From childhood, my father taught me how to make a bed with military precision; so when I'm done, you could bounce a quarter off of it. I pick up the freshly washed comforter, and spread it out on the bed. Then I reach into my pocket and place a letter I had written on her pillow.

I turn to leave, and nearly run over Kitty as she walks into the room. "Scott?" She asked, looking nervous. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to make sure that Ray and Tabby did a good job, and to bring you fresh linens." I reply. "While I was here, I figured I could at least make the bed for you."

"Oh, thank you." She says, looking away.

"No problem, Kitty." I say, giving her a smile. "I'll get out of your hair. Good night, Kitty."

"Good night, Scott." She says.

I step past her, into the hallway, and start heading to my room. I only get a couple of doors away before Kitty comes rushing out of her room. "Scott, wait." She calls out.

I turn to face her, keeping my face neutral. "Yes?" I ask.

"What's this?" She asks, holding up the letter.

"Well, it looks like a letter, too me." I reply.

"I figured as much." She says, shaking her head. "But what's it about?"

"How should I know?" I ask. "Maybe you should read it, and see." I give her a smile, and turn around.

I can feel her eyes on my back as I walk down the hall, but don't turn around.

* * *

Kitty watches him walk away, wondering what kind of game he's playing; Scott isn't known to be so vague, or mysterious.

She heads back into her room, closes the door, and sits on her bed. She looks at the letter again, instantly recognizing Scott's writing. She opens it up, and starts to read.

At first she's a little confused, but the more she reads, the more it starts to make sense, and she starts to smile. By the time she's done, she has a huge grin on her face. She lays back on her bed, kicking her legs up in the air, clutching the letter to her chest, and squealing like a schoolgirl who just got named prom queen.

* * *

Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'


	3. The Second Date

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: I had started this epilogue shortly after releasing the original story, but my desire to write anything X-Men was squashed by the direction Marvel took the X-Men (and more specifically, Cyclops) around the time it was posted. But it was hard to stay away forever, and after going through my collection of unfinished stories, and posting a couple of things, I decided to give it another try. This was one story that I had truly been looking forward to writing an epilogue too, and though it took me longer than I liked, I finally finished it, and decided to post it. Like with the original story, this will mostly be from Cyclops' P.O.V., with the occasional snippet about other characters. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review.

 **Secret Santa: The Aftermath**

Chapter.3.

The Second Date

I wake up the next day, excited and a little nervous; okay a lot nervous. The previous date with Kitty had been a surprise, so I didn't have time to think about it and get nervous, but this one was going to be one that I had planned; so there was plenty of time for me to get nervous this time. I wasn't sure if my nervousness was a good sign or not; I used to get nervous when Jean and I had first started dating, but I also got nervous whenever I had tried to imagine dating since Jean passed.

Either way, I need something to take my mind off of the date until it was time to get ready, so I head down to the danger room for an impromptu session with Laura; who I know will be down there already.

Laura likes running Logan's programs, and it makes for one hell of a workout; even for two people working together. And by the time I'm done, I'm tired, but relaxed.

A quick shower, and I'm about ready to meet Kitty for our date. I get dressed, and head down to the garage to wait for her.

I figured I might have to wait long, since that was usually my experience with Jean, and I just assumed all women liked to take their time when getting ready for a date; but Kitty walks in just minutes after the time I had written in the letter.

"Hey Scott." She says, with a smile.

"Hey Kitty." I reply, returning the smile. "Ready to go?"

"Yes." She replies, walking over to me.

"Then let's go." I say, opening the door to the Shelby, and helping her in. Since it was the holidays, Kitty had 'rented' the car for three days; so I was ecstatic to get another opportunity to drive it before I had to return it. I close the door, and walk around to the driver's side to get in.

I start the engine, and drive away from the mansion.

"You know, your letter didn't say what we would be doing for our date, only that I should dress warm, and meet you in the garage at noon." Kitty says, glancing over at me. "I thought you said that you didn't want it to be a surprise."

"No, what I said was that I didn't want the date to be a surprise; the actual content of the date being a surprise is perfectly fine with me." I reply, unable to keep the smirk off my face.

She crinkles her nose, and gives me a pout. Normally, I would just brush it off, but this is the first time that I actually take the time to notice how cute she looks when she makes that face; it makes me smile.

"So are you going to tell me now?" She asks.

"Nope." I reply. "But I will tell you that we're going to stop for a quick bite to eat first; so we don't get hungry."

"Where are we going to eat?" She asks.

"I little dinner I know about." I reply. "Food's good, and it's pretty cool; fifties theme style place."

"Fifties theme; cool?" She asks, looking at me quizzically. "You know, it's all starting to make sense now."

"What is?" I ask.

"You think a fifties theme style restaurant is cool, your obsession with muscle cars, your fearlessness; you're the reincarnation of a fifties gear-head who probably died in one of those drag races where you drive towards a cliff." She says, laughing. "It all fits."

I just shake my head, and keep driving.

We arrive at the dinner, and I hold open the door for her.

"Wow, you weren't kidding." She says, as she looks around.

The waitress shows us to a both, and we order our food. Kitty tries to get more information about what we'll be doing for our date, but I refuse to answer.

Once we're done, it's back on the road for a short trip to our destination.

"No way." Kitty says, with her face pressed against the glass, as I park the car. "We're going ice-skating?"

"Yep." I say, shutting off the engine, and opening my door.

Kitty practically jumps out of the car, and rushes around to hug me. "Thank you, Scott; this is wonderful." She says.

"Well, you're not the only one who pays attention." I reply, returning the hug. "I remember hearing you talk about how much you used to love ice-skating when you were back in Chicago, and how you did figure-skating until the age of twelve."

"You remember that?" She asks, looking up at me with a sparkle in her eye.

"Yeah." I reply, with a smile.

She gives me another hug, before dragging me to the rental booth so we can rent our skates.

Even though I know she doesn't need my help, I help Kitty put on her skates anyways. Then I put my own on, and try to stand up.

"Whoa there, Scott." Kitty says, as she reaches out to steady me. "We haven't even gotten to the ice yet."

"Sorry." I reply, sheepishly. "It's been over fifteen years since I put on a pair of skates; I'm a little rusty."

"Well then, I guess you'll have to hold my hand until you get the hang of things." She says, with a smile.

"I guess so." I reply, letting her lead me to the ice.

Standing on the ground was awkward enough, but the ice was ten times harder; luckily Kitty's firm grasp of my hand, and my years of training allow me to not fall on my ass right away.

We skate around, holding hands, and enjoying that fact that there are only three other skaters. I glance over at Kitty often, and can see her smile growing the more we skate; but I can tell that she's holding back, for my sake.

"Kitty, I think I can skate on my own." I say. "Why don't you go enjoy yourself?"

"I am enjoying myself." She replies.

"I'm sure you are, but I can tell that you want to do much more, and I'm holding you back." I say. "It's fine with me, if you want to go skate by yourself for a while; do the things that I'm preventing you from doing. I'll skate around here on my own."

"Are you sure?" She asks. "Because, I mean, this is, like, supposed to be a date, and wouldn't it be weird if I left you alone to go do my own thing?"

"Not at all." I reply, giving her a smile. "Go have fun; I'll be fine."

I watch as she slowly skates away, glancing over her shoulder at me. I nod and give her another smile, before focusing on not falling on my ass.

I catch glimpses of her skating fast, or twirling around, as I skate around the edge of the frozen pond, and I can see that her smile is even bigger. _"I knew she'd like this."_ I think to myself.

Eventually, Kitty returns to me; but when she twirls around in front of me, it distracts me enough that I lose my balance. "Shit." I cry out, as I start to fall over.

"Scott." Kitty shouts, reaching for my hands.

She grabs them, but it's too late, and I fall over backwards into the snow bank; my weight pulling Kitty down on top of me. The powdery snow flies up into the air, before gently falling back down over us.

"Kitty, are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah; you?" She replies.

"Yeah, I"m fine." I reply, with a sigh of relief. Then I start to laugh. "Well that just happened."

Kitty joins me in laughing. "Yeah, it did." She replied. "Sorry about that."

"Not your fault." I say. "I should have paid more attention; but you looked so happy skating like that, that I couldn't help but look."

Despite the freezing temperatures, I start to feel a little hot. The reality of our situation suddenly hitting me; Kitty is laying on top of me in the snow, and her lips are only inches from my own. I remember the three kisses we've shared so far, and I want to feel her lips on mine again.

I lean forwards, and gently capture her lips. Her breath hitches in surprise, but she quickly returns the kiss, pressing her lips firmly against mine.

When she pulls back, I can see a blush on her cheeks that I know has nothing to do with the cold.

She gets up, and helps me to my feet, before leading me over the the changing area.

"Why don't we grab a hot chocolate before we head home?" I offer.

"That sounds like an awesome idea." She replies.

We bring the skates back to the rental booth, and walk over to the concession stand, where I order us a couple of hot chocolates. We sit down next to each other on a bench, and drink.

As we're driving home, I catch Kitty smiling at me.

"That was fun." She says. "Thank you, Scott."

"Any time, Kitty." I reply, giving her a smile. "I had fun too."

"Even though you fell down at the end there?" She asks.

"That was kind of the highlight of the whole date for me." I reply, reaching over and giving her hand a squeeze.

She bites her lip, and blushes; turning to look forward. "Me too." She says, quietly.

We arrive at the mansion, and park the car. Then I walk with Kitty upstairs to her room.

"It's a shame that they're coming to pick up the car tomorrow." I say. "I really love driving it."

"Well, you could always return it yourself; that way you get to drive it one more time?" She offers.

"I could." I say, thinking about it.

"Then I could follow you in your car, and drive you back." She adds.

I look at her, and try not to smile. "Or we could just let them pick it up." I say.

She slaps my arm, and tries to act offended, but her smile betrays her. "Oh, I'm not that bad anymore." She says. "I barely ever need to use my powers when I drive."

We arrive at he door, and I find myself getting nervous again.

"Well, I had a really fun time today, Scott." She says, giving me a smile.

"Me too." I reply. I reach up, and rub the back of my neck nervously. "Um, I'm not sure about dating etiquette here, but is it alright for me to ask you if you want to go out again sometime, or am I supposed to wait a couple of days; how does it work?"

She smiles sweetly at me. "Screw dating etiquette, I say." She replies. "If you want to ask me out again, then do it."

"Okay." I say. "Kitty, would you like to go out with me again sometime?"

"I'll have to think about it." She says, turning around to open her door. When she turns back to look at me, she has a wicked grin on her face. "I'm just teasing you, Scott; of course I'd like to out with you again."

"Cool." I say, stupidly. "I mean, that's good. Maybe we can do the whole traditional dinner and a movie thing this weekend?"

"I would like that very much." She replies.

"Okay; then it's a date." I say, smiling.

"Do I get a kiss goodbye?" She asks.

I decide that if she can tease me, than I can tease her too. "I'll have to think about it." I reply.

She crinkles up her nose again and pouts, and I think she looks adorable. I smile as I step forward, and lean down to kiss her.

"I'll see you later." She says, as she steps into her room.

I turn down the hall and start to walk away, but feel someone's eyes on me, and turn around to see Kitty leaning out into the hallway, watching me walk away. She quickly ducks back into her room, and I can hear the door close.

* * *

 _Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_


	4. The Unlikely Adviser

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: I had started this epilogue shortly after releasing the original story, but my desire to write anything X-Men was squashed by the direction Marvel took the X-Men (and more specifically, Cyclops) around the time it was posted. But it was hard to stay away forever, and after going through my collection of unfinished stories, and posting a couple of things, I decided to give it another try. This was one story that I had truly been looking forward to writing an epilogue too, and though it took me longer than I liked, I finally finished it, and decided to post it. Like with the original story, this will mostly be from Cyclops' P.O.V., with the occasional snippet about other characters. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review.

 **Secret Santa: The Aftermath**

Chapter.4.

The Unlikely Adviser

When I had made the decision to start dating Kitty, I wasn't sure how things would be around the mansion; being in such close proximity all day can alter the way relationships develop. It forces a closeness that can put a strain on people, but at the same time it helps build a stronger bond. No one is immune to it; even Jean and I had our ups and downs over the years, but we were stronger for it.

I was a little surprised that there didn't seem to be any awkwardness with Kitty; well not more than the awkwardness of getting caught stealing glances at each other. But all in all, it was going good, and that made me think.

So it was a couple of days before our next date, that I found myself sitting alone in the living room, after everyone else had gone to bed, thinking; some people say that I brood, but I don't, I think.

The ease with which things had been going with Kitty made me wonder if I had finally mourned Jean enough, and was ready to move on, or if I had ever really loved her as much as I thought I did, and wasn't capable of mourning her as long as I should have.

Okay, so maybe I was brooding.

I needed someone else's insight, because I couldn't come up with an answer on my own, and I was starting to get frustrated.

I couldn't very well go to Kitty about this, and Anna was her best friend, so she was out of the question too. Remy would have been someone I might have considered, but being engaged to Anna eliminated him too. None of the New Mutants would do either, and Kurt, Bobby, and Laura also fell into that boat. That only left Peter, but he did so much for everyone already, I didn't want to burden him with more of my problems too.

That meant that I would have to expand my circle to find someone I could talk too.

The Professor, Ororo, and Hank were all still overseas, and I wasn't going to call them and wake them up. And as much as I love Alex, he wouldn't be able to be objective since we're brothers. Logan would have been ideal, but I had no idea how to reach him anymore.

Then it hit me; there was one person that could possibly help me that I knew, and could contact. But even though he had changed his ways since the whole 'Apocalypse' incident; he still wasn't someone I was completely comfortable around.

Sighing, I stood up, and headed to the Professor's study. I opened his phone book, and found the number I needed. Then I picked up the phone and dialed.

It rang a couple of times before someone picked up.

"Hello, Mr Lehnsherr; it's Scott Summers. I was wondering if we could talk." I say.

* * *

"I'm a little surprised that you called me, Scott." Magneto says, as he steps into the study from outside.

"Honestly, I debated whether or not I should; but the Professor says you've changed, and I trust him." I reply.

"Thank you, for giving me a chance then." He says. "Even if only for Charles' sake."

"Would you like a drink?" I ask.

"Charles has a lovely forty year old scotch that we share whenever I visit." He replies. "Perhaps, you would like to share a glass with me?"

"I've never really liked scotch, but I guess a small glass can't hurt." I reply. I find the bottle, and pour two glasses.

I walk over to Magneto, and hand him his glass.

"Thank you." He says, accepting the glass with a smile. "Would you fancy a game of chess? Charles and I have found that it's easier to discuss openly when our minds are a little preoccupied with the game."

"Sure." I reply, sitting down at the table with the Professor's chess set. "I'm not very good, so I doubt I'll be much of a challenge for you."

"The result is never the important part, when Charles and I play; it's the dialogue." He says, sitting across from me.

"Then, you go first." I say, taking a sip of the scotch.

Magneto moves a pawn, and the game is on. "So tell me, Scott; what did you want to talk to me about?" He asks.

"It's a personal matter." I reply, moving one of my pawns. "And I need some advice from someone with a little more life experience than me."

"Ah." Magneto say, nodding. "That's why you called me. With all the teachers away at Muir Island, there is definitely a lack of life experience from you to draw on for advice." He moves one of his knights, and takes a sip.

"Yeah." I reply. "I'll just get right too it; no point in dragging this out." I move one of my bishops. "I've recently started dating Kitty..."

* * *

Magneto had wiped the floor with me before I had even told him half of the story; so we started a second game, which he was also winning.

"So now I'm wondering if I've mourned Jean enough, or if I ever really loved her as much as I thought I did." I say, watching as he takes another one of my pawns.

Magneto sits there in silence for a couple of minutes, watching me closely. "I'm afraid that I can not answer that question for you, my boy." He says. "That's something only you can answer."

"But I don't know." I reply.

"I can offer you this, from my own life." He says, watching as I move my rook. "My former wife, Magda; Pietro and Wanda's mother. She was my first love, much like Jean was yours, if I'm correct."

I nod confirmation.

"Anyways, Magda was the love of my life, and she meant the world to me. She was the mother of my children, and the only woman I thought I would ever love." He says, using his queen to take my rook. "When she passed, I was devastated; it broke me." He gives me a look, letting me know that he knows how broken I had been after Jean. "I thought I would never love another, and I would live out my days mourning her. But then I met Suzanna Dane; a lovely woman who brought out a side of me I thought long dead. I fell in love again, but, like you, I had a crisis of conscience."

"What did you do?" I ask, the game forgotten.

"What does it matter?" He asks. "What I did shouldn't have any affect on what you do."

"But it might help me." I say. "Please."

"Scott, you have to make your own decisions; not base your choices on someone else's." He says. "You'll know the answer eventually; you just need to give it time."

"Can you at least tell me how long it was between the time Magda passed away, and you meeting Suzanna?" I ask.

He laughs, and shakes his head. "That I can not do either." He says.

I lean back in my chair, and sigh.

"Let me try this from a different angle, since this seems to really be bothering you." He says. "Did you love Jean?"

"Of course I did." I reply.

"When you were together, did you see yourself being with her forever?" He asks.

"Yes." I reply.

"Then I think we've established that you truly loved her as much as you could." He says.

"I did." I reply, looking out to the stars.

"Now, about Kitty." He says. "Do you care about her?"

"Yes." I reply.

"When you are with her, are you happy?" He asks.

"Yes." I reply.

"I just have one last question, and it's not one that I need you to answer for me; it's one that you need to think on, and answer for yourself." He says, leaning forward to look closely at me. "Would Jean want you to be happy, or would she want you spending your life mourning for her?"

I don't even have to think about it, I know the answer; and just like that, Magneto has given me what I needed.

"Thank you." I say, reaching out with my hand.

He shakes it, and smiles. "I was my pleasure." He says, standing up.

I stand up, and watch as he moves my queen across the board. "And you have me in Checkmate." He says, with a smile. "You're better than you let on."

* * *

 _Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_


	5. The Couch Incident

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: I had started this epilogue shortly after releasing the original story, but my desire to write anything X-Men was squashed by the direction Marvel took the X-Men (and more specifically, Cyclops) around the time it was posted. But it was hard to stay away forever, and after going through my collection of unfinished stories, and posting a couple of things, I decided to give it another try. This was one story that I had truly been looking forward to writing an epilogue too, and though it took me longer than I liked, I finally finished it, and decided to post it. Like with the original story, this will mostly be from Cyclops' P.O.V., with the occasional snippet about other characters. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review.

 **Secret Santa: The Aftermath**

Chapter.5.

The Couch Incident

My talk with Magneto had really helped, and alleviated a lot of the guilt I had been feeling about dating Kitty. So by the time we go on our next date, I'm back to my old self, and am able to just enjoy her company.

The dinner is great, and the conversation flows. Something I thought would have been a problem, since we lived together, and already knew so much about each other, but I was wrong; there is so much to discuss that it seems we'll never run out of topics.

"I can't wait to see it." Kitty says, as we wait in line to buy tickets for the movie. "Tabby and Amara said it was awesome."

"Wait, Tabby and Amara recommended it?" I ask. "Maybe we should watch something else." I give her a smile to let her know that I'm just teasing her.

"Oh, Scott." She says, playfully slapping my shoulder. "It'll be fine; you'll like it."

Before I can reply, we hear the sounds of sirens getting closer. We look up, and see several police cars come flying down the street.

I look at Kitty, and she nods. Then I take her hand, and we start running in the direction of the police cars.

As we turn a corner, several blocks away from the theater, we see what all the commotion is about; apparently, someone tried to rob a convenience store, and failed miserably. Now the whole thing had turned into a hostage situation.

"Follow me." I say to Kitty, as I lead her around the building, and into the back alley. The cops haven't blocked off the area yet, so we are able to make it to the back of the building. "Okay, so I need you to get us inside. Once we're inside, your job is going to be making sure the hostages get out safely; I'll deal with the gunman."

"Okay." She replies.

I can tell by the look she gives me, that she doesn't like the idea of me taking on the gunman alone, but she trusts me enough to follow my orders.

"Let's go." I say.

She takes my hand and walks towards the wall, and I can feel the unmistakable feeling of Kitty's powers affecting me. She leads us into the store room, before letting go of my hand.

I peak out of the door. "I only see one gunman." I say, ducking back. "There are at least three hostages that I can see; two customers, sitting on the floor near us, and the clerk, standing behind the counter. Phase through the wall over there, and you'll be covered by the shelves; just stay low. Grab the two hostages, and lead them out the back, before coming back for the clerk. Once I see you've got them, I'll have to make my move, in case he notices them gone."

She nods, and moves over to the spot I indicated. She phases through the wall, and I peak out to see her crouching behind the shelves. She inches her way closer to the hostages, and one of them notices her. Kitty holds a finger to her lips, and the girl nods. Kitty looks at me for the 'go' signal.

I turn my attention to the gunman, and wait for him to turn his back to us. Then I give my head a quick nod, and watch as Kitty grabs the two girls, and phases them through the wall. I don't wait to see if they get through, since I need to deal with the gunman before he turns back around.

I open the door, lift my glasses, and fire a blast into the arm carrying the gun. The gun drops to the floor, and I rush him; tackling him to the ground, where we struggle.

At some point Kitty joins in, and helps me gain the upper hand. We pin him to the ground, and hold him until the police rush in to take over.

I'm relieved to see that the officer in charge is a man we've dealt with before, and knows that we have a habit of getting involved in situations like this. He gets us to give a quick statement, before thanking us and letting us go; so we don't have to answer to any press that might show up.

I look at my watch as we walk back towards the theater. "Well, I'm afraid that we've missed the start of the movie, Kitty." I say. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be; it's not your fault." She says, bumping me with her shoulder as we walk, hand in hand. "But I think I have an idea of how we can still have our movie date; you just have to trust me, and let me drive."

"Alright." I say, reaching into my jacket pocket, and taking out the car keys. "Here."

She takes the keys, with a huge smile, and leads me back to the car. We drive to a video store.

"We can just rent a video, and watch it at home." She says. "That way we still get to have our movie date. Only we won't have to wait in line for snacks, and we can pause it any time we want."

"Sounds good." I say, with a smile. "But I know how much you were looking forward to the new one."

"We can just go another time; maybe next weekend." She says.

"Alright." I reply. "Well, I think it's only fair that you choose the movie, since it was your movie that we didn't get to see."

"You're just letting me choose so that you can use it as an excuse to choose the next one." She say, with a smile.

I smile back, and follow her around until she finds a movie she wants to see. Then I drive us home.

"Just great." Kitty says, as she sees that several of the New Mutants have camped out in the living room, and are having a Sci-Fi movie marathon.

"We could watch it in my office?" I suggest. "I have a TV in there, and the couch is very comfortable. Plus it's private; so no one will disturb us."

"I'll go get the snacks." She says, with a smile. "Assuming they left us anything."

I head to my office, and get everything set up by the time Kitty arrives with a bowl of popcorn, some chocolates, and a six-pack of soda.

"This was all that was left." She says, laying everything down on the coffee table.

"It's more than enough." I reply, sitting down on the couch.

Kitty grabs the blanket that I have draped over the back of the couch, and covers us with it as she sits next to me.

"What?" She asks, as she cuddles up against me. "It's a rule that when you watch a romantic comedy, you have to cuddle. I didn't make the rule; I just follow it." She gives me her innocent, puppy dog eyes, and I can only shake my head and pull her closer.

* * *

"That was nice." Kitty says. Her head is resting on my shoulder, and was there throughout most of the movie.

"Yeah." I reply. Truth be told, I hadn't really been paying attention all that much to the movie; I had been more focused on how nice it felt to have Kitty snuggled up against me. I kiss the top of her head, and she turns to look at me.

I'm not sure who makes the first move, but soon we're making out like a couple of teenagers. I find her lips to be more intoxicating than any drink I've ever had, and I can't seem to get enough of them. Her tiny hands weave themselves into my hair, and pull me in deeper.

She shifts her body, without breaking our kiss, until she is pressing me down against the couch with her body. It's at that time that I finally realize the height difference between Jean and Kitty. Jean was closer to my height, and our bodies always seemed to be fighting with each others for space; but Kitty fits against me perfectly.

It feels like we've been kissing forever by the time we break up, but it ends too soon for my liking. Kitty's face is flushed, and I'm sure mine is no better.

"You're, like, a really good kisser; best I've ever had." She says, biting her lip. "Better than I ever imagined."

"You have the softest lips I've ever kissed." I reply, running my hand down her cheek. "I could lose myself in them."

"We should probably call it a night." She says, sadly.

"Probably." I reply.

She leans down and kisses me again, before standing up, and adjusting her clothes; which had gotten a little messed up. "I had a wonderful night, Scott." She says, giving me a smile. "Thank you."

"Thank you, Kitty." I reply, standing up too. "I can't wait to do this again. The date I mean, not the...well that too, but...I'm rambling."

"It's cute." She says, laughing. "I know what you mean. Good night Scott."

"Good night Kitty." I reply.

I follow her to the door, and watch her walk down the hall. I don't think see realizes I'm watching, because half way down the hall, she starts skipping happily.

* * *

Kitty is eating breakfast the next morning when she finds herself cornered by Tabby and Amara.

"So, what's this I hear about you and Scottie getting home early from your date last night, and locking yourselves in his office for a few hours?" Tabby asks, swiping a piece of strawberry from Kitty's plate.

"Yeah, we were waiting in line to see that movie you told me about, when we heard police sirens." Kitty replies. "Long story short, we ended up missing the start of the movie because we helped in a hostage situation; so we decided to watch it next weekend, and, instead, rented a movie."

"And..?" Amara asks.

"And...what?" Kitty asks.

"What the princess is trying to get at is, how was it?" Tabby asks.

"It was, like, the best." Kitty replies, getting a dreamy expression on her face.

Amara sighs, longingly, and leans on her palm.

"Wow, that good?" Tabby asks. "I figured he'd be good, but really? The best?"

"Yeah." Kitty replies. "I've never been kissed like that before."

"Wait; kissed?" Tabby asks. "Is that all you did?"

"Well, yeah." Kitty replies. "What did you think happened?"

"I don't know." Tabby says. "I thought that maybe you'd jumped his bone."

"Jumped his...oh; oh no, no, no." Kitty replies, blushing. "We didn't; we just made out."

"Made out? What are you, in high school?" Tabby asks.

"No, but I don't want to push things too fast." Kitty replies. "I mean I want too; I really want too. But I'm afraid that Scott might not be ready yet, or that maybe he's not that interested in me."

Tabby groans, and throws her head back. "Oh my God." She says. "How can you not see that he's totally into you?"

"He is." Amara adds. "You've gotten further with him in the time you've been with him, than Jean did in six months. She told me about how frustratingly slow Scott was taking things with her."

"See." Tabby jumps in. "He's moving faster with you, than he did with Jean; so you need to buck up, and get you some."

"Yeah. I'm sure Scott will tell you if he's not ready." Amara says.

"I guess." Kitty says, looking thoughtful.

"That a girl." Tabby says, patting Kitty on the back. "And if you want, I can give you some tips to seduce him."

Amara rolls her eyes.

"With my help, you'll have him begging you for it in no time." Tabby says, with a smile.

* * *

I finally get to take Kitty to the movie she had wanted to see, on our next date; and, this time, there is no police emergency to interrupt our date.

The theater seats actually have adjustable arm rests; so Kitty lifts up the one between us, and cuddles against me, taking my free hand in her lap. I've noticed that Kitty is a lot more physical than Jean was; might have something to do with her powers being physical in natural, where Jean's were mental. And I'm not complaining, I've always been more of a physical being myself; Hank says it's probably because of my year of 'blindness'.

I wasn't sure if I would like the movie, romantic comedies aren't normally my style, but I leave there thoroughly satisfied; although, it might have something to do with the company I had.

I drive us home, and park in the garage. I barely have time to turn off the engine, before Kitty is pulling me into a kiss. I feel like a teenager again, making out in the car. But the heated garage, mixed with our winter clothes, is making things a little uncomfortable; so we decide to head inside.

I walk Kitty to her room, where she starts kissing me again. She wraps her arms around my neck, and starts pulling me back into her room. I don't normally like to presume, but I think it's safe to say that I know where this is headed; so I reach out and grab the doorjamb to stop us.

"Why did you stop?" She asks, looking at me with half-lidded eyes, and swollen lips. "Don't you want to come in?" She grabs the front of my shirt, and tries to pull me in again.

"I can't." I groan, as my head drops in defeat.

She releases my shirt, and her face looks disappointed. "Oh." She says, looking at the ground. "I see."

"Wait, Kitty." I say, reaching out and taking her hand. "I want too, but there are house rules. And I don't think it would look too good if two of the people in charge get caught breaking them. Plus, there are kids in the room just across the hall from your room, not to mention that Tabby and Amara share a room right next to yours." She looks up at me with a hint of hope in her eyes, and I smile. "I mean it when I say, I want to come in. I promise that I'll make it up to you, somehow.

"I guess you're right." She says, reluctantly, but I can hear a hint of playfulness behind it. "But you're not getting away without a least a little more kissing."

"That I can do." I reply, leaning down to capture her lips.

* * *

As the week goes on, I start to regret taking a stand after our date. Every time I'm around Kitty, there seems to be a lot of tension between us; like we have to fight to keep our hands off each other. We sneak kisses whenever we can, which just leaves us both wanting more. I'm sure everyone else notices it; or, at least, it feels that way to me.

Then one night, after all the kids have gone to bed, Kitty and I find ourselves alone in the living room. True to her nickname, Kitty pounces on me almost as soon as we're alone; pinning me to the couch while we make out. But we are in the living room, and privacy is hard to come by with so many people living under one roof.

We break apart as soon as we hear people walking towards the living room. It's the team that I had sent on a mission earlier that evening.

"Hey." Bobby says, collapsing in one of the armchairs with a grunt.

"How did it go?" I ask, watching as Kurt, Tabby, and Roberto sit on the other couch. Laura stands in the doorway for a moment, before sitting beside Kitty.

"Dude, this leader stuff is hard." Bobby says. "I don't know why you put me in charge."

"Was the mission a failure?" I ask, already knowing that it wasn't, since I had seen the results on the news.

"No." Bobby replies. "But it nearly was."

"You'd be surprised how often that's the case." I say with a smile. I notice that Kitty is leaning against me, and look over to see that Laura is leaning towards Kitty, sniffing her. "Ah, Laura, what have we told you about sniffing people like that?"

She ignores my question. "Why are you not mating with Kitty?" She asks, looking at me seriously. "She is highly aroused, and possibly in heat."

The four other X-Men, who looked to be exhausted, are suddenly alert, and looking at us closely.

Kitty squeaks, and I feel her weight lift off me. I look to see her phasing through the couch, her face deeply flushed.

"Yeah, Scott; why aren't you 'mating' with Kitty, right now?" Tabby asks, with an evil smile on her face.

* * *

 _Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_


	6. Not A Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: I had started this epilogue shortly after releasing the original story, but my desire to write anything X-Men was squashed by the direction Marvel took the X-Men (and more specifically, Cyclops) around the time it was posted. But it was hard to stay away forever, and after going through my collection of unfinished stories, and posting a couple of things, I decided to give it another try. This was one story that I had truly been looking forward to writing an epilogue too, and though it took me longer than I liked, I finally finished it, and decided to post it. Like with the original story, this will mostly be from Cyclops' P.O.V., with the occasional snippet about other characters. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review.

 **Secret Santa: The Aftermath**

Chapter.6.

Not A Dream

After that incident in the living room, Kitty seemed keen on not getting in another situation like it; so we tried to keep our distance, while around the mansion. Which only seemed to intensify the tension. Add to that, I had to cancel our next date because Professor Xavier had asked me to fly to Muir Island with some supplies, and it was a whole other week before we could finally get some free time together for another date.

Kitty had wanted to plan it, so I just let her at it; she had hit a home run with the first date.

When Friday night rolls around, I follow Kitty's directions, and laugh when I pull up to a pool hall. "A pool hall?" I ask, as we walk inside. "I thought you hated pool?"

"I don't hate pool." She says, leading me to a table in the corner.

"Then why don't you ever want to play with me at the Institute?" I ask, taking off my jacket, and draping it over the back of a stool.

"Because you cheat." She says, placing her jacket on top of mine.

"I do not." I reply, defensively. "I'm just really good."

"No you use your spatial awareness, or whatever it's called...I've heard the Professor talking to you about it; I know it has something to do with you powers." She says. "That's why there are going to be some rules tonight."

"Oh really?" I ask, smirking. "What kind of rules?"

"Well first off, you are only allowed to sink one ball per shot; no trick shots to sink four or five balls in one shot." She says. "Or, God forbid, the entire table in one shot; like that one time I watched you play Logan."

"What if I 'accidentally' sink more than one?" I ask.

"You're too good for it to be an accident." She replies. "But if it happens, then...then I get to put one of my balls in."

"Okay." I say. "No trick shots. What else?"

"You only get one shot per turn; even if you sink a ball." She replies. "I want to play too."

I nod, my smile getting larger.

"And finally..." She says, with a 'cat that got the cream' smile. "I get three misses between your shots."

"I see you thought this through." I say. "Okay, I agree to your terms."

"Good." She says, her smile only growing.

"Can I get you guys anything?" The waitress says, as she approaches us.

"I'll have a beer." Kitty says.

"I'm driving; so just soda for me." I reply.

The waitress walks away to get our drinks, and I turn back to Kitty. "Why don't you break?" I say, moving aside to let her take a shot.

* * *

The first game is over in no time, as I sank all eight balls in my first eight shots; while Kitty only manages to sink three of her own balls, despite me trying to set up her shots for her.

The second game only lasts longer because I purposely start missing shots; until Kitty calls me on it, and tells me to play properly.

I finally got fed up of watching Kitty struggle to sink her balls that, during the third game, I step in to help.

"Kitty." I say. "You're holding the cue all wrong."

"This is how I've always held it." She says, forgoing her shot and looking at me. "It's how you hold it."

"Yes and no." I say, stepping up next to her and showing her how I hold my cue for a shot. "You can't just hold it like you see other people holding it; you need to find what works for you."

I go on to explain all about her back hand grip, and the 90-degree rule. Then I talk about her front hand position, and bridge choice. She watches me the whole time, but has that glazed over look I've seen her get when we're in a team briefing, and I know she's not really 'hearing' me.

I sigh. "Okay. Why don't you line up a shot, and I'll show you." I say.

She turns around, and leans over the table. She glances at me over her shoulder, and gives me a smile, while she wiggles her hips.

I walk around her, and start adjusting her hands, until they're in the proper position. "There we go." I say. "That's how you should hold it from now on. How does it feel?"

"Good?" She replies. "I guess."

"Why don't you take a shot, and see?" I say.

She lines up her shot, and sinks her ball.

"I did it." She says, jumping up and giving me a hug.

"Just try to remember what I showed you, and you'll be wiping the floor with me in no time." I say.

She lines up her next shot, but doesn't take it. "Scott?" She calls out, looking at me across the table. "Can you show me again?"

I walk around the table, and reach out to adjust her hands.

"No." She says. "Show me like you're taking the shot."

I position myself behind her, and lean over her to hold the cue. "Like this." I say.

She turns her head to face me, and gives me a kiss. "Want to get out of here?" She whispers.

"I thought you'd never ask." I say.

We quickly clear the table, and grab our coats.

"Where too?" I ask.

"Head back to the Institute." She replies. "I have a surprise for you."

"Okay." I say, merging into traffic.

* * *

I park the car, and am about to head inside, when Kitty grabs my hand and pulls me towards the door leading outside. "Follow me." She says.

She leads me out into the back yard, and down the path to the lake. When we break out from the trees, I want to laugh. I had forgotten about the boat house. I had also forgotten that the Professor had renovated it, after the Apocalypse incident, into an apartment for Magneto; so he could recover in peace. Only the staff, and senior X-Men had been aware that Magneto had even been there.

"Surprise." She says, opening the door, and turning on the light. "I found us somewhere that we could have a little privacy."

"I had completely forgotten about this." I say, stepping inside and looking around.

"So did I." She replies. "Until Anna mentioned to me that she was thinking about asking the Professor if her and Remy could move in, since they're engaged now. But, at least for now, it's empty."

I walk over to the fire place, and see that it's already set up, and just needs to be lit. "You planned this all out?" I ask, taking one of the matches on the mantle, and starting the fire.

"Yep." She says, grabbing me from behind as I stand back up. "I was fed up of waiting."

I turn around in her arms, and return the hug. "Me too." I reply, as I lean down and kiss her.

I lead her over to the couch, and sit down, pulling her into my lap; never breaking our kiss. It feels nice not having to worry about someone walking in on us.

Kitty's hands are all over me, and it's driving me crazy; remember what I said about being a physical being.

"Maybe we should take this into the other room?" She asks.

"Definitely." I reply.

She stands up, and takes my hand, leading me into the bedroom. I'm not surprised to see that the bed is already made, and that there are candles everywhere.

"Why don't you light the candles, while I go get ready?" She suggests.

"Get ready?" I ask.

"Yeah." She says with a smile. "I have another little surprise for you."

She heads into the bathroom, leaving me alone. I find a box of matches on the nightstand, and proceed to light all the candles.

Just as I light the last one, I hear the bathroom door open; so I turn around. What I see leaves me speechless.

"Do you like it?" She asks, posing for me.

"Wow." I say.

She's standing there in a sexy little lace negligee; something that I never pictured Kitty would wear. I mean, I'd pictured it, just never really thought it would be a reality.

She seductively walks towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me into a kiss. "Why don't we get a little more comfortable." She says, reaching down and grabbing the hem of my shirt.

* * *

When I wake up, the first thing I do, is the same thing I do every morning; I reach up and make sure my glasses are on. It's at that time that I realize that my left side in warmer than my right side, and my left arm is still asleep.

I open my eyes and look to see a head of messy hair resting on my chest. I smile as I brush some of the hair behind her ear, revealing Kitty's sleeping face.

The previous nights activities come to mind, and my smile grows. I've always assumed she was a bit more conservative when it came to the bedroom; but she definitely surprised me last night.

I hear her groan, as I feel her shift against my side. She lifts her head, and looks up at me.

"Morning." I say, giving her a smile.

"It isn't a dream, then." She says, with a smile.

"If it is; I don't want to wake up." I reply, kissing the top of her head.

"Me neither." She says, leaning closer and capturing my lips.

We kiss for a while, and Kitty surprises me again by climbing on top of me.

"Kitty? Again?" I ask.

She bites her lip, and gives me the sexiest look I've ever seen on her face. "Yes; again." She replies.

* * *

 _Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_


	7. Epilogue to the Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine is the plot.

A/N: I had started this epilogue shortly after releasing the original story, but my desire to write anything X-Men was squashed by the direction Marvel took the X-Men (and more specifically, Cyclops) around the time it was posted. But it was hard to stay away forever, and after going through my collection of unfinished stories, and posting a couple of things, I decided to give it another try. This was one story that I had truly been looking forward to writing an epilogue too, and though it took me longer than I liked, I finally finished it, and decided to post it. Like with the original story, this will mostly be from Cyclops' P.O.V., with the occasional snippet about other characters. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review.

 **Secret Santa: The Aftermath**

Epilogue

Epilogue to the Aftermath

 _ **18 Months Later**_

The sun feels nice as I sit on a marble bench outside the Institute, and look at the memorial statue the Professor had made for Jean. Shortly after returning from Muir Island, upon finding out that I was dating Kitty, the Professor suggested it to me; saying he had wanted to do it earlier, but felt that I wasn't ready yet. Since then, I visit it on occasion, and talk to Jean.

"Hey Jean." I say. "Sorry that I haven't passed by in a couple of weeks, but I was in San Francisco, helping Bobby and his team get settled in. Everyone seems to like this new set up we have going; four teams spread across the globe, makes for quicker response with a lot less travel."

I notice a cardinal land on the top of the statue, drawing my attention.

"The new additions to the units have been working out really nice." I say. "There were obviously some growing pains, but things have gotten a lot better in recent weeks."

The cardinal flies away.

"Kitty says hi." I say, returning my attention to the statue. "Things are going great with her; I'm really happy. I've told you about how hard it was for me at first, but I've come to believe that you'd want me to move on and be happy; and I am. I love her, Jean; I really do. And she loves me."

I reach into my pocket and pull out a ring. I fiddle with it a little before holding it out to the statue.

"I'm going to propose to her tonight." I say. "She thinks we're just going out to dinner, but I have it all planned out; and I couldn't have done it all without help from Anna and Remy. Yeah, that's right; Anna and Remy." I laugh a little. "They're visiting for a week from Munich; Kurt gave them a week off, and I recruited them to help me. Anna has actually been out shopping with Kitty all day, just to get her out of the house; I'm going to owe her big for that. I needed her out of the house, so that I could fly to Chicago and pick up her family; they're going to be hiding in the restaurant, waiting to surprise her if she says yes. God I hope she says yes."

I start to laugh nervously.

"I know, I know." I say, twirling the ring between my fingers. "I need to be more confident, but you know me; self-doubt is a part of who I am. Anyways, Remy was a huge help in choosing the ring; with me being color blind, and a complete novice when it comes to jewelry. He has a keen eye for this stuff, thief and all, and I think we got it right."

I look carefully at the ring.

"A diamond surrounded by sapphires." I say. "I think she'll love it." My hand drops to my lap, and I sigh. "I hope you're okay with this, and that you're happy for me; I like to think you are."

"Scott." I hear Kitty call out. "Ororo said you were outside."

I quickly stuff the ring back in my pocket, and stand up to wave at Kitty. "I'm over here." I reply.

"Oh, you're talking to Jean; sorry to interrupt." She says, walking over and giving me a kiss. "But we need to get ready if we want to make our reservation."

"I'm all done here." I say, draping my arm around her shoulder and leading her back towards the Institute. "Let's go get ready for our date."

 _ **THE END**_

* * *

 _Text in Italic = 'Thoughts'_

A/N: This whole thing had started out as just a short epilogue to the original story, and grew into this. I hope you enjoyed reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to all those that have showed me support throughout all my writings; I've had a recent surge in inspiration to keep writing, and it's thanks to you (because I sure as hell wasn't inspired by the decision makers at Marvel).


End file.
